Down The Well
by VelocityStar
Summary: What if Inuyasha had taken place in America instead of Japan?


_A/N _- I've always wondered what it could have been like for an American girl thrown into a version of Inuyasha set in America instead of Japan, so I decided on a whim to write one. It's not a story to be taken too seriously, just a bit of fun. Kagome won't be our girl since sending a Japanese girl down the rabbithole would defeat the purpose, but by no means is a Mary Sue taking her place!

* * *

_ T__his is…real? _

The sun certainly felt real. That bug that just bit her skin felt real and the cool wind carrying the sound of buzzing insects didn't seem imagined.

But…she hadn't been _in _a forest. Not this one. Last she remembered she was playing in the thin cluster of trees remaining outside her backyard fence. There was an old city drain tunnel in it where her family's dog had run into and she…

Sweat beading and running down her face in the cool air, she stiffly turned to stare at the well she had climbed out of.

It…_kind of _reminded her of the drain. But that had been level with the ground and…not a well.

How did she end up in it? And _where _was she? Because this certainly didn't feel like the Omaha midsummer heat and there weren't five foot thick across pine tree forests!

Trembling, still rooted to her place in the grass, her eyes darted around her in paranoia, expecting her kidnappers to appear out of no where. She must have been attacked and hit her head. Hastily she examined her arms and legs, lifting her t-shirt to look at her stomach and then carefully feeling her scalp.

She had no bumps, and no needle marks. Just normal bruises and bug bites.

_I…could still be drugged. _She struggled to admit to herself. _I might have ingested something. Should I throw up? I don't want to! _Not that it wouldn't be hard considering how her stomach was cramping with nerves, but still. She nearly would rather hallucinate than stick her finger down her throat.

Which way should she go? If she hung around here her kidnappers might return…but if she got lost in the wilderness with no provisions…she would die.

Bewildered, fighting down the hysteria wanting to bubble over, she turned in a circle aimlessly, eyes desperately searching the meadow she stood in. Amidst the towering pine trees was an even higher tree, seeming to stretch into the heavens.

_I'll go over there, _she thought in relief. _If I climb that tree, I should get a view point to see where I am and if there's a road nearby. _

Now armed with a plan, she began jogging forward, sliding to a stop with a loud hiss and carefully picking up her left foot. Grimacing she plucked out the stickers, tiny beads of blood sticking to them and more gingerly walked across the forest floor.

Of course her shoes were missing. She couldn't remember if she kicked them off to follow her dog (unlikely considering she wouldn't want to touch the dirty water in the drain) or her kidnappers took them from her. Shivering at the thought, she was thankful her t-shirt and shorts were undisturbed, nothing suggesting she had been attacked while asleep.

Yelping and muttering to herself as despite her efforts she was constantly stepping on pine needles or stones or spiky plants, the forest closed around her as she moved forward. Nervous, she determinedly keep an even course as her visibility was reduced, nearly feeling claustrophobic.

"Ah!" She exclaimed as she shoved aside thick bushes and broke out into the clearing where the tree stood. _I found it—_

Stunned, she stumbled to a halt, staring in astonishment at the base of the tree.

Wind blew through the clearing, ruffling the abnormally thick and long hair on the boy leaning against the tree base, his eyes remaining closed.

_Is…_is _that a boy? _She cautiously began edging closer, eyes narrowed as she stared, half expecting his eyes to open suddenly. That was when she saw the arrow pinning him to the trunk.

_What if he's dead? _She thought in sudden horror. _What if he's someone else the kidnappers took and they killed him and nailed him to the tree! _

Heart in her throat, she nearly turned and ran from the clearing. But she had to be sure she couldn't help him before she left…he could still be alive!

_Though I'm probably just fooling myself, _she thought in dread as she inched closer. _I don't see blood but where that arrow is in his chest…maybe he's already been dead a long time. But wouldn't he stink then? _Tentatively she sniffed the air, unable to smell anything other than pine and sun warmed earth.

_This is dumb. _Her chest was so tight she could hardly breathe. She was close enough now to see he wasn't breathing, but his skin had the peachy tint of fresh blood pumping. His eyebrows were black and contrasted sharply against his thick white bangs.

He looked young for having white hair.

Holding her breath, she timidly held out a hand and brushed it against the boy's throat.

No heartbeat…but he was warm.

Maybe she just couldn't find his pulse point. It wasn't as if she were trained to know! Her own heart pounding, she awkwardly reached around the thick vines holding him to the tree (how could vines this old hold him here?) and pressed her palm against his chest.

Nothing.

Maybe it was just the sun keeping him warm? No, he was in the shade…dead bodies didn't hold in warmth though after a certain length of time…right? So could the sun even…?

Flinching, her eyes grew large as she stared at what looked like fuzzy white puppy ears sticking their tips through the thick mane of hair.

_No. Way. _

Her hand reached up of it's own accord.

_It's prosthetics. _

The fuzzy hair on the ear was silky soft, the membrane thin and warm underneath with a faint heart beat felt through the tip. She snatched her hand back as if she had been burned. _...that __**can't **__be fake, _she thought wildly. _I could feel the blood rushing through it…he must be alive! _

"Hello?" She croaked, voice cracking. She swallowed and tried again, timidly squeezing one red clothed shoulder. What was he wearing anyway? It looked so strange! "Hey. Hey, can you hear me? Wake up!"

He didn't respond but she didn't really expect him to. He was probably dying!

Frantic at the thought she grabbed the nearest vine and yanked, nearly swearing as the vine stubbornly refused to budge. Muscles bunching, planting one of her feet against the tree base, she pulled harder. "Why is this so strong?" She gritted through her teeth, feeling as if her arms would pop out of their sockets before the vine gave.

It wasn't as if she were a weakling! She worked out, she should be able to—

Harsh words shouted in a strange tongue by angry male voices caused her to shriek and leapt about, only to nearly faint with fright when arrows rushed by her to land into the tree, nearly grazing her. Eyes wide and about to bolt, she took in the group of about seven men standing at the forest line, bows loaded with arrows aimed between her eyes.

"Don't shoot!" She blurted holding out her hands open palmed, knowing if she ran she would be killed. "Please, don't shoot!"

One man lowered his bow slightly, and glared at her in distrust. She pleaded with her eyes, remaining still but inwardly torn. If these were her kidnappers, would it better to run and die rather than suffer whatever they did to the boy on the tree?

Again words were spoken to her harshly but she didn't understand what they were saying. Judging by the way the men were dressed though…

She couldn't believe this. Why were they dressed like some type of Indian? What kind of sickos were they? Did they want to 'hunt' their victims and then nail them to trees as a trophy?!

Again she was shouted at, this time accompanied by an aggressive brandish of a loaded bow.

"Please, I don't understand!" She blurted, watching how their faces twisted. "English? Do you speak English? Ingles?" Shit, she never thought she would wish she knew that phrase in Indian!

Should she run? Should she run?

The men muttered suspiciously amongst themselves, glancing at her and then at the man who had shouted his demands or questions at her. After a brief discussion amongst themselves where none of them were distracted and allowed her to run, the man jerked his head towards her and told his men something.

Three men came down towards her aggressively, glares on their faces and that was when her nerve broke.

"No!" She shrieked, darting over the roots and uncaring of her bare feet.

Angry shouts sounded after her along with arrows flying. Adrenaline giving her speed she never thought she could have managed in this terrain, she dodged around the tree and bolted for the forest line.

Miraculously arrows missed her, grazing and tearing her shirt sleeves and cutting her skin. Legs tearing up the uneven ground, she had just made it into the forest and felt a wild hope of escape coming to her when a sudden heavy impact landed between her shoulder blades and slammed her into the ground.

Screaming, trying to claw at whatever was on her back and uncaring of the breathless pain her body was trying to block, she felt a man's hand cruelly yank her hair back into a knot and bare her throat. A low voice hissed at her as a crude knife was suddenly held against her jugular.

Instinctively stilling at the obvious threat, she still didn't know if it would be better to fight and die or let them capture her. She didn't want to die! She didn't, she had a family she was only seventeen she couldn't—!

"Don't kill me," She begged, feeling her throat move against the blade and draw blood. She shakily drew in a breath. "_Please._ Don't kill me!" Tears clogged her throat.

The man stayed silent, iron grip never wavering.

Voices echoed as the band of men all arrived, all of them loud, most angry or other voices sounded disgusted. Frightened out of her mind, she felt herself jerked to her feet and face to face with the man who had confronted her earlier.

She could feel the tears running down her face and inwardly cringed at what a pathetic picture she must make. She would never submit, but maybe they wouldn't kill a crying girl—

"Please," She said softly, trying to see _anything _from the deep black of the man's intense eyes. "Please."

The Indian's eyes narrowed briefly before he drew back and barked at the still talking men surrounding him. Looking over her head to the man firmly holding her captive, she could tell he gave him an order.

That said, he turned on his heel and began walking into the forest, the other men falling around him and her captor shoving her forward to follow.

Heart pounding so loud she thought she would faint from being so light headed, she followed them silently for what seemed like hours, the pain of her hurt feet causing her to stumble frequently as time went on. She heard roaring, and they walked out onto a cliff where a large gleaming river wound into the distance, smoke and fires and tents in a settlement close by.

There was a village? They were taking her to their village? Was this a sick game, or were they actually Indians? Wouldn't they have at least _heard _of English if they lived in America? Honestly! Or maybe that was the problem. She was part of the people who had taken so much from their culture, maybe that's why they kidnapped her!

Mind buzzing crazily, she numbly followed them down the hill, frantically debating if she should provoke them into killing her quickly or not.


End file.
